Career Corner

Before you can be eligible for an interview, you must first get an employer’s attention with your resume. A resume is one of the first things an employer will see, so it is imperative that you make a good impression – even before you actually meet the employer in person.

A resume is meant to immediately grab an employer’s attention and to showcase your strengths, accomplishments, and skills. Even though you should certainly focus on your skills that you currently possess, it is just as important to include your future potentiality and the goals you hope to achieve through the particular employment opportunity. When formatting your resume, it should always look neat and even. Since your resume is really the first impression you make to an employer, there should be no mistakes, especially if you take the time to format your resume properly.

It takes time to create a resume. You need to include all previous and current employment and internship experiences along with other leadership positions. But a resume should be more than just a list. Details are imperative in a resume – you should always clearly describe the responsibilities you hold or have held at jobs and internships. Employers have often said that they easily discard resumes with vague descriptions, so be as specific as possible. And as with everything else, be sure to keep updating your resume. Leaving out an experience could be the difference between getting an interview and being tossed aside along with the other applications.

As you start assembling your resume, be aware of the fact that resumes should be one page if possible. If you absolutely need two pages, then the second page should be at least half a page long. Initially, employers may only look at a resume for about six seconds. However, just because an employer will only take a short amount of time looking at your resume does not mean that you should care any less about the way you present yourself through your resume. Like every other form of writing, you need to consider the reader and ask yourself why you are writing and what you hope to achieve. The whole purpose of a resume is to communicate with a potential employer why you are qualified for a specific position, so be sure to keep that in mind as you go about formatting your resume.

If you would like help setting up your resume, or if you have any questions, then make an appointment or stop by the Career Center anytime. Remember that it’s never too early to start building up your resume and preparing for your future!